I’ve been struggling with my weight all my life. I’ve never been skinny or even average, but it never really affected my life in a bad way. Yes, gym class was awkward and so was getting school physicals every year. But my weight never stopped me from doing what i wanted, so naturally, it grew out of control. This past summer, at my highest weight of somewhere around 270 pounds, i decided to go on a diet. Dieting all my life, i didn’t expect this time to be anything different. You know, go on a diet, drop a fast twenty, hit a plateau and then give up because you could be eating something better right now rather than waiting for the number on the scale to move lower. I guess this time i just decided that health was more important than that bag of potato chips or the leftover pizza in the fridge. Back in June, i started out on my new healthy lifestyle slowly. I cut back on my portions a bit, added LOTS of fruit into my diet (so easy to do during summer time), limited myself to only lean meats, no white carbs (only whole wheat, multi grain, pumpernickel, anything brown basically) and started a low calorie plan keeping my intake between 800 and 1200. I realize now that that was much too low of a caloric intake for the day but i wasn’t very educated back then. That’s when i found Tumblr. My blog basically changed my life. It’s been my main support system (aside from my family), my source of inspiration AND motivation. It really kept the ball rolling these past six months. After a while things started to slow down and i knew something had to change. So i started working out a bit here and there. I started the Couch to 5k program but only got two weeks into it because i tore a few ligaments in my ankle at band. I don’t think my life really revolved around health at this point. That really started around mid-september.

Once school started back up, i really got back into the swing of things and wanted to make this lifestyle a permanent change. One of my good friends led me to the book Eating Animals by Jonathon Safran Foer (i highly reccomend it if you’re looking into vegetarianism). This book then led me to the second health book i read called Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. If you aren’t sure about whether or not you want to go vegetarian / vegan, read this book and it will persuade you. The last time i ate meat was October 3rd, with the exception of one small piece of turkey at Thanksgiving which i later completely regretted. Its been a lengthy process but i slowly moved from vegetarian to vegan, which i am now with the exception of fish. This has made a HUGE impact on my weightloss. Cutting animal by-products from your diet is an extreme decision but i reccomend it if you are looking at living a healthier lifestyle. Yes, man was made to eat meat, but what the FDA produces and ships out should no longer even be considered meat. I’ll let you do your own research on that topic and make the decision for yourself.

Let’s not forget about my exercise regime. I try to religiously make it to the gym AT LEAST three to four times a week. When i started out i would just fast walk or jog MAYBE a mile. I was in no physical shape to do any more than that at the beginning. Recently however my habits have changed. When i go to the gym i start on the treadmill and finish on the bike. I made a pact with myself to always do at least one mile on the treadmill, but usually i do about two. After i run on the treadmill for a while, i move to the stationary bike. Usually i do between three and five miles on the bike after my run. I’ve been aiming for fifteen miles of anything every week. That’s running, walking, biking, anything. I use my shake weight nightly, it’s killer for the arms. INVEST. When i can’t get to the gym i play Just Dance on the Wii. Such a workout and it really is a good time, even if you’re by yourself. On top of all of that, YOGA YOGA YOGA. If i had to reccomend anything, it would be to start doing yoga. It’s honestly one of the most peaceful things i’ve ever taken part in and it really relaxes you and brings you to a better state of mind. DO IT. You know you want to.

So, after that jumbled mess of my attempt at giving you guys advice, here’s a few main things that i would really consider incorporating into your lifestyle if you’re looking to become healthier.

-WATER. Drink it. Lots of it, as much as possible. Bring a water bottle to school and fill it up in between every single class. Always carry one with you so you can always be drinking it. Water flushes the body of any toxins that may be in it. Try and shoot for eight glasses a day, but i promise you this - once you start, you wont be able to stop. You’ll crave water like a smoker craves a cigarette. But it’s a good thing, don’t worry.

-CLEAN EATING. Regardless of if you’re planning on going vegetarian or if you love meat too much to ever do that, make your diet clean. This means LOTS of veggies a fruits, a reasonable amount of grains and proteins, and small amounts of fats. Try to stay away from red meats and focus more on your white meats like chicken and turkey. Bake/grill, don’t fry. Can’t get enough Ranch with your salad? Make the switch to something healthier like olive oil with some parmesan cheese, or mash up half of a ripe avocado and add a pinch of salt. Stay away from unneccessary processed foods like microwave popcorn and pillsbury chocolate chip cookies. You want cookies? Find a healthy recipe online - theres billions out there. Want some popcorn? Buy corn kernals and pop them in an air popper with some sea salt. Homemade may take longer but it’s definitely worth it in the long run.

-PORTION CONTROL. Three square meals a day? No. You should be eating five to six SMALL meals a day. Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, optional snack. When you limit yourself to three meals, you let yourself get overly hungry. This usually leads to over eating and ridiculous cravings that you will regret later. Eat some food, let yourself get just hungry enough to where you hear the grumbles, and then eat some more food. Just make sure it’s the right kind of food in the right sized portions.

-EXERCISE MORE. You will never regret a workout, i promise. After working out for a while, let’s say two weeks, your body will literally crave the endorphins it produces when you workout. This has been me recently - if i can’t workout, it’s like my body turns on me and decides to be really tired so that i can’t accomplish anything productive until i get what it’s asking for. A workout. Exercise often and your body will thank you.

I really hope you guys found this helpful. I’m not really one for giving advice but i gave it a go. Don’t hesitate to harass my ask if you have any more questions. I’d be happy to answer ! (: